Life Saving PTE Surgery for Alicia Stuart

“Out of Options”

Alicia, is loving wife and mother of two teenage boys, has struggled with Lupus since early childhood and has managed to live a full life despite dealing with her illness until recent setbacks and now needs our help.

Alicia has suffered numerous PE (pulmonary embolism), blood clots in arteries of the lungs, and was diagnosed with CTEPH (chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension), a rare condition where scar tissue is created around an PE, causing a blockage of the pulmonary arteries. 

She now requires a life saving surgical procedure called PTE (pulmonary thromboendarterectomy) pioneered at UC San Diego. 

Alicia has run out of options and needs this very costly, complex and extensive surgery.  Her family is facing mounting medical bills, expenses and a huge insurance deductible. 

While she undergoes further procedures and prepares for PTE surgery, she now needs an oxygen concentrator for efficient source of O2 since the heavy metal tanks are no longer sufficient to supply enough O2 for doctor visits, pharmacy pickups, grocery shopping and other routine tasks. 

Any and all donation will be appreciated beyond belief.  We cannot thank you enough with your support, generosity and understanding.

If you would like to offer support without a donation, we invite you to leave an encouraging message for her below and share your story.

CTEPH - Dr Madani 

PTE Surgery - Dr Madani 

Volunteer Extraordinaire - School/PTA/Soccer/Doula

Alicia is my dear sister-in-law and the mother of my beloved nephews, Spencer and Hunter. She has been ill for as long as I’ve known her, but that has never kept her from bringing beauty and refreshment to the lives of others.

Over the years, I have  marveled at how much time and energy, thought and devotion she put into her acts of kindness. Alicia used her highly developed attention to detail—color, texture, taste, pattern and scent—to create one of a kind gifts such as “get well soon” care packages and unique baby shower gifts that took days to create and  made recipients feel deeply loved.

I further witnessed her special brand of caring when her son, Spencer, entered kindergarten at Yukon Elementary where I taught. Alicia began volunteering for the PTA and became an art docent. She spent hours of her time to prepare and teach lessons to our students. She brought her artistic sensibilities to this task, always encouraging students to creatively enjoy the experience. Soon she was using her gifts to produce many extraordinary PTA events. Her imaginative use of materials and willingness to work tirelessly provided many joy-filled activities for the students and parents alike.  My favorite was a Dr. Seuss-themed event which included “truffala trees” made from pool noodles and pom-poms, so whimsical!  Our school richly benefited from Alicia’s caring, creative, and generous ways.

Alicia went on to help expectant mothers usher their precious newborns into this world. She also  embraced the challenge of homeschooling her two sons. 

It’s inspiring to reflect on how many lives she touched while dealing with her illness. She is a truly unique individual who has overcome much.

It’s obvious that Alicia is most fulfilled when she is helping others, which has become almost impossible given her fragile condition. I pray that she can have this surgery and return to her life of blessing others. - Judy Sneigowski


Doula work (emotional & physical support during pregnancy, labor & delivery)

I met Alicia when she arrived at my daughter’s home while in labor.  I was a little wary of the arrangement, but she supported my daughter and even watched out for the needs of my son-in-law and myself.  Reminding him to eat and rest so she could lean on him as things became more intense.  I was impressed by that.

When my daughter finally got her epidural, Alicia tucked her and her husband in for a much-needed rest.  While Alicia never seems to show signs of tiring, I was glad she would finally have a chance for her to rest up too.

If you want to understand why Alicia is exceptional, what happened next should cover it.  Instead of resting, she turned to me and asked how I was.  We had flown in the night before, and all the sitting around had swollen my ankles badly.  I hadn't said anything, but somehow with everything going on around her, she had noticed it. 

She called me over and got her Magic Bag of Trick, and with the focus of a chemist, she whipped up a concoction of oils and such.  She put up my legs and massaged them.  I hadn't noticed how uncomfortable I had been until she began her skillful work. In about 15 minutes, the swelling had all disappeared, and I was left feeling calm and refreshed.  I now understood why my daughter’s tension seemed to melt every time she had touched her.

I have never met anyone like Alicia before, she is truly unique.  She is driven to find something she can do for someone, and the look she gets when she figures it out and her pleasure at serving others is something she can't mask.  She was amazing to us all in so many ways, but that one gesture embodies who Alicia is and what makes her tick. - Abagail’s Grandma


Pokemon Go Community

Yes, Pokemon Go, a virtual mobile app of a kid’s game has brought together our diverse personalities from all walks of life into a tightly knit community Alicia affectionately calls the “squad.”  While us trainers unconsciously and obsessively play this silly game, we lose focus on important aspects of life that Alicia deals with 24/7.  She passionately plays, hunts and collects with us crazy trainers all while having to lug heavy oxygen canisters with pain shooting through her chest at every breath.  Recently relegated to play from her van she now needs to ride with others.  Despite her struggles it's easy for anyone who knows her to see past the shroud of oxygen tubes and the IV in her chest because she radiates warmth and selflessness.  Alicia is highly intelligent, opinionated and vocal - seeking to delve into deep meaningful conversations around various controversial aspects of life.  It's heartbreaking to stand by and see the effects of this debilitating illness on someone that has only brought our PoGo community joy and happiness.  She desperately needs this PTE surgery in hopes of prolonging her life. - Mickey Okamoto


The indomitable spirit of Alicia is reflected in the way she avidly plays Pokémon Go.  While playing the game as a diversion from her physical pain, she never fails to be considerate, cheerful and sociable in her interactions with others. Despite her pain, she is ever ready to listen to the problems of others and offers her insight and solutions.  That takes a lot of character and spirit to be able to do that.  As a result, she is always very well accepted by her fellow Pokémon Go players.  - James Ong

I met Alicia through PokemonGo and because of her easy going, thoughtful and friendly nature we quickly became fast friends.  She is very considerate of others and interacts so well in company that one forgets she is ill and in constant pain. Her fighting spirit, resilience and resolve to always look at the brighter side of things despite her poor health is an inspiration to me, all her friends and the PokemonGo community.  - Jeanne Ong

Who would have thought that a game could bring so many people of different personalities together.  Due to POGO, I was able to meet the wonderful Alicia.  The first time I met Alicia, we connected instantly.  It’s hard not to sound cheesy, but the first conversation we had it felt like we knew each other for years.  I have never met someone as unique as Alicia.  Her perseverance and positive spirit it’s one to admire.  She appreciates every second of her life, and is welcoming to others.  I am honored to call Alicia my friend.  - Claudia and Danny